A Royal Pain
by sunkyuchuu
Summary: AU set way way way before the events of the Hobbit. Featuring a marriage between a grumpy village girl named Ninaereul and a conceited prince named Thranduil. They fight constantly and bicker endlessly, but can the two grow to love each other for the sake of the kingdom? Hmm I wonder... read on and find out!
1. Chapter 1

Ninaereul twirled her nervously. The long brown tendrils had been mostly put up by the Elven maid who fluttered around her. The few loose strands that remained, "for style" served to ease her growing nerves. The maid, Coeleth, finally stood back after placing a simple silver circlet on Ninaereul's head.

"There," she crooned, "you look like a true princess."

"Oh, I'm hardly a princess," Ninaereul muttered shyly.

"Nonsense! You're marrying Prince Thranduil! That makes you Princess Ninaereul!" Coeleth insisted.

Ninaereul nodded along to appease the elven maiden but she couldn't help the scowl that formed on her face at the mention of Thranduil. The little scumbag was the cause of all of her problems and nerves. She had all intentions to reject the marriage proposal, despite her father's pleas, but the prince had accepted first. And there was simply no way she could reject the prince of Greenwood. She scrunched her eyebrows furiously, trying to understand why in the world Thranduil had accepted. It wasn't as if the two had gotten off on the right foot….

_Ninaereul sucked in her breath as she held the bow steady. The fletching of the arrow lightly grazed her cheek as she narrowed her eyes at her target. The deer paused during its meal, as if it felt the presence of the other being. She had to make the kill quickly. She breather out, in again, and was about to release the arrow when-_

"_What are you doing?" a quiet voice asked from behind. _

_Ninaereul yelped and her arrow skipped past its target hitting a tree instead. The deer scurried away quickly leaving Ninaereul gaping at where it had stood. _

"_You have a poor shot." The voice noted with a light tone of amusement. _

"_A POOR SHOT? YOU ASSHOLE! I AL-" She screamed whirling around and stopping abruptly as she took in the person behind the mysterious voice. His eyes were a deep azure and were framed with thick yet eloquent brows. Straight blonde hair fell to his chest and tiny points peaked out from where his ears were hiding. _

"_You're an elf" she gaped. _

"_And you are clearly very observant" he commented returning her gaze. He scoffed lightly before turning around and beginning to walk away. _

"_Hold on! Where do you think you're going?" Ninaereul asked stomping through the snow after the elf. _

_He paused and glanced back at her before continuing. The girl was pretty but hardly enough to tempt him. The Elven prince had decided his answer to the proposal when something wet hit the back of his head. _

"_What the-" he said turning around just in time to dodge a snowball aimed at his face. The girl stared at him triumphantly and trekked the distance between them so they were merely a few feet apart. _

"_How dare you! Do you know who I am?" He demanded. _

"_How dare I? No, how dare you. Thanks to your comment I've lost dinner and not to mention good money for that meat." She seethed. _

"_So? It's not my problem," he retorted. _

"_It bloody well is your problem! You made me lose focus and I missed my shot!" she shouted. _

"_You missed your own shot. Perhaps you should work on focusing more." He snapped before turning around and stomping away again. _

_Ninaereul closed her eyes and counted to 10. At 10 she flung the open and lunged at the elf screaming bloody murder. He dodged easily and she cursed again as she slipped on the snow and began falling forward. Desperately she grabbed at his hand and grinned as she pulled him down with her. She got up first and pulled his hand upwards to her mouth. _

"_What are you doing?" he asked stunned. _

"_If you don't pay me for that deer I am going to bite your hand." She replied smiling maniacally. _

"_Pay you back? Absolutely not!" the Elf said beginning to pull back. _

"_You asked for it," she said shrugging. She licked her lips before clamping her teeth into his hand. Hard. _

"_YOU'RE FREAKING CRAZY! LET ME GO" the Elf screamed as he desperately tried to pull his hand from her teeth. She shook her head and stuck out her hand. The Elf kept pulling until finally, he relented. He pulled out a small pouch and placed it into her hand. Ninaereul released her hand and licked away the traces of blood on her mouth before smirking triumphantly at the Elf who gaped at his hand. _

"_You bloody monster," he muttered. _

"_Excuse you, I'm more of a delicate flower. Besides, you were being rude first." She scoffed inspecting the amount of money in the pouch. _

"_You're actually crazy. I can't imagine anyone who would marry someone like you." He said glaring at her and nursing his hand. _

"_Ha! Well I pity the poor elven maiden who gets stuck with your sorry ass. How could anyone put up with someone so pretentious and conceited!" She returned. _

"_How dare you speak to me like that? I am Thranduil, prince of Greenwood! You would be lucky to have me as a husband," he said indignantly._

"_Yes and I am the queen of Gondor. And I for one would rather die than be your wife. Imagine the torture. Now good day. Sir." She said brushing past him with the pouch jingling at her waist. Ninaereul smirked to herself. She had certainly shown that elf who was boss. And she even got some money off him. Although, now she faced the problem of finding diner. She quickened her pace and hoped to find a stall at the market before closing time. _

_Thranduil watched as the girl went back to town. A small smirk played on his lips. Go ahead. Think that you have won. But soon I will have my revenge. Thranduil turned and walked the other way. He had decided that he would accept the proposal. Things were getting a little boring anyway. _

"Now do you remember what I told you?"

Ninaereul snapped out of her thoughts as Coeleth's voice entered her mind.

"Ahh yes, I think so," Ninaereul said smiling lightly at the maid.

"Well let's hope so." Coeleth muttered. There was a knock at the door and Coeleth turned to go answer it. Ninaereul stared at her reflection in the mirror. She hoped that when the door opened she hoped that a different Thranduil would appear before eyes. That the elf in the woods was just lying to her. But it was in vain as her green eyes locked contact in the mirror with the deep blue eyes. No, she was not that lucky.

Thranduil sauntered over to his bride to be and knelt next to her so their heads were level. She stared nervously at the mirror, refusing to make eye contact with him.

He smiled cruelly and whispered into her ear, "Come, it's time."

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**AN: **

**Ahhhh I've done it now! Welp this is my first ever fic so please be gentle! (If you have criticisms please keep them constructive! No bashing!) **

**I apologize if Thranduil seems OOC but he's such a hard character to write! But he's so fascinating at the same time! Aughhhh. The struggles. Also super sorry if this story upsets you Tolkien purists. If you have a problem with it I suggest you might want to stop reading LOTR/Hobbit fanfiction because it's probably going to make your blood boil regardless. Think of your health! Anyway, to the rest of you, I hope you enjoyed the story and please let me know what you think!**

**I will warn you now that this is going to be a slow burner romance so please do not expect a hot make out sesh in chapter two.**

**Also! I do not own anything except our lovely heroine, Ninaereul! This sadly means I do not own Lee Pace's eyebrows of sex. (*sobs*)**


	2. Chapter 2

I groaned internally again as my horse stumbled over another bump. We had been riding for several days now and I suppose the thing about Elves is they never get tired. Or if they did it never showed on their impeccable masks. Regardless, my butt was unbearably sore and I needed some distraction.

Thranduil had thankfully not spoken to me at all after the rather speedy ceremony. I hadn't even been given a chance to say goodbye to my father and it worried me. He had become a shell of the man he once was and I didn't know if he would last long by himself. I made a mental note to make sure I visited him as soon as we got to our destination. Speaking of which, if Thranduil was the prince of Greenwood, why exactly are we leaving said woods? Judging by the cold reception of his parents, I had begun to suspect that Thranduil had been exiled or something. I was pulled from my thoughts when Thranduil finally spoke up.

"We are halfway there. We will rest here tonight," he commanded, gesturing towards a small clearing. I could have hugged him if he wasn't so awful for that piece of news. Coeleth quickly made her way to me and gently helped me off the horse. Gods, everything hurt. I winced and uncomfortably walked towards the small tent. Coeleth pulled me inside after her and I marveled at the pretty pattern on the inside. It was a deep blue marked with silver swirling patterns all over. There was a single cot and a small table where some bags rested. Coeleth was rummaging through the bags and pulled out a white night dress. She put it on the bed and made to help me undress.

"That's okay! I can do it!" I insisted pulling away. I quickly took off the uncomfortable riding gear and slipped into the soft dress. I smiled at the small little comfort and reminder of home. I half expected to turn around and see Papa there with some hot cocoa, but instead I found Coeleth gesturing for me to sit on the bed. I sighed and obliged her. She began to gently comb through my hair and work through the many tangles. We were both silent as she worked and the Elven woman seemed content with that although I was itching to ask her questions.

"Coeleth, why are we leaving Greenwood? Aren't we supposed to live there?" I couldn't see her, but Coeleth seemed to stiffen.

"Prince Thranduil lives in Lindon. He only goes to Greenwood for official duties," she said simply.

"But he's the _prince_ of Greenwood," I stressed stubbornly. Coeleth clucked and came to stand in front of me.

"Of course he's the prince of Greenwood. He simply lives in Lindon." Coeleth repeated.

"Yes, but-" I began.

"That's quite enough questions I think," a smooth voice interrupted. To my annoyance the hair on my neck rose a little as I turned to lock eyes with his startling blue ones. Coeleth glanced between the two of us, bowed, and quickly excused herself. I halfheartedly considered asking her to stay but I knew she would refuse.

Thranduil leisurely slipped off riding shirt and pulled on a looser tunic. With eyes still watching me he began to take of his pants which was when I sharply turned around. I could hear him chuckle lightly.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

"Come, come. Don't be shy. We're married after all." Thranduil purred as he waltzed his way towards me. We were now facing each other and I gulped as he began to lean in. His eyes remained trained on mine as his face drew closer and closer. It was simply inches from mine and I could taste our breaths mixing.

"This is hardly as scandalous as it could be," he whispered. I scooted back defensively as he matched me with a step forward.

"You haven't answered my question." I pointed out.

"I'm just visiting my dear wife," he said innocently. He leaned in close to my face again and this time I was prepared. I pulled my head back and quickly snapped it forward in a sharp head butt. Thranduil yelped in surprise and drew back.

"What are you doing here?" I repeated, this time with more force. Thranduil was glaring at me furiously although his face remained in a mask.

Putting my hands on my hip, I demanded, "What did you say?".

"Yes what am I doing in my own tent I wonder?" He spat out and shuffled away searching for something. I watched him for a moment before processing what he just said.

"Why do we have to share a tent?" I sniffed unhappily.

"Because we're married. Do try to keep up, I can't possibly survive a stupidity otherwise," he said smirking at me before producing a mirror from his bag. I had to stifle a snort as he began to inspect his forehead muttering something about "bloody women" and his imminent revenge. I glanced around and the gravity of the situation dawned on me. There was only one cot in this tent. I eyed Thranduil as I inched towards the cot slowly. While he remained preoccupied, I quickly settled myself into the bed. There was no way I was sacrificing this comfort after 3 days on that god forsaken animal.

"What are you doing?" Thranduil asked, turning around to face the cot.

"Me?" I countered, feigning innocence, "I was just really tired so I think I will go to sleep first. Be a dear and put out the lamp please." I smiled proudly at myself and pulled the blanket over my head. Thranduil quickly yanked it back off so I was forced to look at him.

"Yes, that's all very good, but why are you on my bed?" he growled.

"Your bed? Surely it does not have your name on it." I countered. He practically rolled his eyes.

"I suggest you relinquish the bed and go sleep over there." He said gesturing to a small corner of the room. I raised an eyebrow at him in challenge and simply turned around, snuggling tightly with the blanket.

"No." I said simply.

"Now."

"Not happening."

"You will do as you're told."

I scoffed. "Even my father doesn't tell me that. Now please stop acting like a child! I am sore and tired and going to sleep." For a moment there was silence and I thought that I had won. Then I felt two hands grab me and I was suddenly lifted off the cot.

"Hey!" I shouted as he dumped me unceremoniously on the ground. I tried to run back to the bed but I was not match for his elven reflexes as he was already laying down on the bed by the time I reached it.

"That's not fair," I pouted and attempted to push him off. He remained unmoving to my growing frustration and I began to just hit him.

"It's not fair." I repeated over and over again as hot tears threatened to form on my eyes. No. I would not cry. Not in front of him. Swallowing tears was awful but his contempt was even worse. I angrily wiped at my eyes as he turned to face me. For a second he just stared at me and I thought he might offer the bed back so I gave him my best puppy dog eyes.

He snorted delicately and pushed my forehead with a finger. "Go to sleep."

I scowled and trudged back to my corner. The ground was cold and it seemed to bring back the tears. I missed the comfort of my home. My warm bed. The times when I couldn't sleep and Papa would read to me till I fell asleep. The smell of pine and wood and a warm fire. The taste of the crisp sea breeze.

It was all gone.

Now I tasted was the salt in my tears and smelled the strange floral earthy scent of the elves. There was no Papa to lull me to sleep, just me and my thoughts. And I couldn't think of anything calming or happy. I pitied myself. The situation I was in. The fact that for the rest of my life I was tied to this man. I thought about what Papa said.

"Don't rely on others to make you happy Nina. Some things, yes, are out of your control. But there are many more factors in your control. Have faith in yourself and make your own happiness."

So perhaps I had to make my own happiness with the stupid prince. But Papa never told me how and now more than ever I wish he had. As I pondered my situation, exhaustion took over and I drifted away into dreams.

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**AN: Ahhhh I'm an awful person and I haven't updated in ages. I went back to college so I've been super busy with all that jazz. D: I will try to make updates more frequently so I apologize to all the readers. **

**Also, as you may have noticed I switched to first person. I'm not sure why but I just found it easier to write and I think for the most part I'm going to keep it in first person. So I'm sorry if you liked the third person, it just wasn't clicking for me. I might go back and change the last chapter later but for now I'm keeping it as it is.**

**Thank you to the people who followed and favorite this story! Internet cookies for you! And an even bigger thank you (and cookies) to YoursAnnie, morganclaire1, and Rachael Hyuuga for their support, enthusiasm, and reviews! You guys rock! **

**So as always, thank you for reading and please leave a review letting me know what you think! **

**Xoxox**

**Sunky**

**PS. I still do not own Thranduil, Middle Earth, and Lee Pace's eyebrows of sex. **


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